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Probation plans ambitious drug outreach program Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
Coleen Davidson, Danny Gray, Najib Sayami, Brooke Schaible and Wanda Ingram add details to the story of the fairy garden at Western Slope Health Center.
Creativity blossoms in a FAIRY GARDEN
Eric Jaramishian Senior staff writer
Imagination is the only limitation for the residents and staff of Western Slope Health Center, who have taken it upon themselves to create a fantasy garden to spark and expand on their creative storytelling minds. The Placerville nursing facility isn’t just a place for wellness, healing and safety. It is also home of a small developed “fairy garden,” a small multiplant garden which serves as a fictional land where mystical creatures including fairies, gnomes, a dinosaur and other creatures “exist” for Western
Slope’s occupants to create their own stories. In other words, the garden creates the setting, the residents create the stories around it. The garden is the brainchild of employee Coleen Davidson, whose imagination runs far and wild, having written down dozens of pages of notes on the story of the fairy garden. The garden has been years in the making and has grown since then, all for the nursing facilities residents, according to Davidson. “The reason I got it going was because I saw that their imaginations were so incredible and
■ See FAIRY GARDEN, page A10
Odin Rasco Senior staff writer
Increased community outreach and collaboration with other local agencies are key goals for the El Dorado County Probation Department as it prepares to utilize funds acquired from nationwide lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors, according to a recent presentation given to the El Dorado Hills Community Council. With the new fiscal year beginning July 1, local governments, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders across California and the nation gained access to the first wave of payments arranged to be paid by “entities responsible for aiding the opioid epidemic,” according to the California Department of Health Care Services. The total settlements at this time add up to more than $26 billion to be paid through 2038, with California set to see around $2.05 billion, according to EDC Probation Chief Fiscal Officer Nikki Moeszinger. Probation is set to receive $192,811 from the first round of settlement payments, and leadership has opted to pursue an ambitious strategy which will bring department employees out of the office and directly to individuals who may need its services. “We want to truly meet people where they’re at,” Moeszinger explained to the council. “This differs ■ See PROBATION, page A5
Construction zone at Oak Ridge to bring improvements Noel Stack Editor
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
Despite the large mound of dirt in front of the administrative office, parents taking
their kids to Oak Ridge High School when the first bell rings Aug. 8 likely won’t need a car wash after drop off. “We’re not expecting to be completely done by the first day of school … (but) we will get to a point where we can get kids in and out of school,” assured Daniel Augino, El Dorado Union High School District director of Maintenance and Operations/Facilities. The parking lot redesign on the El Dorado Hills campus will help move people and vehicles through faster and safer. Project components include an improved traffic flow pattern from Harvard Way into
the campus and a new exit from the campus onto Silva Valley Parkway. Additionally, a four-way traffic light will be installed at Harvard Way and Claremont Road. The buses will now drop off and pick up students in the lower lot on Harvard Way. “This is going to be great for the students and the staff,” said ORHS Vice Principal Rob Slinger, who added for the first week of school staff would be in the lot guiding people in the right directions so they get used to the new traffic flow. One of the biggest
Mountain Democrat photo by Noel Stack
■ See CONSTRUCTION, page A8
Construction crews work on the new roundabout in the ORHS parking lot along Harvard Way. The project is designed to improve traffic flow during pick-up and drop-off times. Lic # 559305
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